Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...There is some very fine acting in this piece — Defrin, a House stalwart, tries her utmost to humanize this Doctor, even suggesting that her apparent emotional investment might just be the issue. Steakley and Parkes work hard on locating that spot where father and sons seem to lose each other, despite the best intentions of both. Those moments of truth are the best aspects of this piece — and they suggest the direction this show should travel in the future. Even the most Kafkaesque worlds can be recognizable."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...Dexter Bullard’s production (which would benefit from greater vocal projection by all three actors) is deeply musical, with a haunting, anguished score for double bass by Josh Schmidt played throughout by Ruben Gonzalez. And once again, set designer Collette Pollard has worked a spatial miracle with her extraordinary architectural set, magically lit by Lee Keenan. Pollard’s angled, shadowy, dark-windowed lobby world is a place Kafka might easily have called home."
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...In Kafka's tale, the Odradek is an apparently innocuous presence, explicitly likened to a child. But as in The Cryptogram, there's a suggestion in Neveu's play that adults fear their children and the stories they can tell. Perhaps the key lies in the last line of "The Cares of a Family Man," which can be read as inverting the notion that the worst thing a person can face is the loss of a child. The Odradek "does no harm to anyone that one can see, but," the narrator confesses, "the idea that he is likely to survive me I find almost painful." That's the real monster, both under the stairs and in Neveu's world. No words can give it a comforting shape."
Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...Both the emotional journey and the storytelling seem incomplete in Odradek, an 80-minute new work that's interesting rather than appealing. The title, a vaguely Eastern-European word, comes from Franz Kafka who used it in a short story as the name of a blob-like woolly house monster."
Copley News Service - Somewhat Recommended
"...Audiences likely will separate into two schools of thought on “Odradek.” Its supporters will praise the production as resourceful and atmospheric, just the kind of edgy discomforting work we can expect from the House. The show may not always make sense but it’s riveting to watch, a worthy challenge to the viewer."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...
The expressionist tendencies of Neveu’s script are underscored by Josh Schmidt’s moody and gorgeous score, bowed by an onstage bassist. Odradek could use a dose of Kafka’s eerie specificity: There’s nothing here to rival the apple in Gregor Samsa’s back or Titorelli’s cage. All the same, its daring innovations are like a breath of torpid, disease-ridden air."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Odradek is a mesmerizing macabre horror story filled with vague motivations and inexplicable actions that will upset and shake up audiences. The atmosphere and pace of the show creates an aura of mystery and destruction where Kyle’s ultimate salvation lies with his odd friendship with a growing monster. This show is imaginative, dark and creepy. It is a provocative and dramatic show that is an imaginative piece of sinister theatre. It is unlike anything you’re seen on stage. Don’t miss it."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...There are parts of this show that are difficult to view and some of you may find your stomachs turning a bit. The destruction of the boy’s life and hopes is shown in removal of body parts and the boy’s self destructive attempts. This is what makes it a thriller, yet not a Hitchcock type as it is far more macabre. There are many metaphors for life in general; medicated teen years, divorce, the ending of a father/son relationship. Odradek, a monster made up of all the discarded items in Kyle’s life, it appears has claimed him as a discarded item as well. It is hoped that this show will open the eyes of the audience so that they can think about their lives and relationships and see if perhaps they can change direction so that their loved ones will never have to experience what Kyle goes through."
Reviews You Can Iews - Highly Recommended
"...Go see this play! Or don't. Chicks and some smaller dudes might not be able to handle it. I heard someone got sick on opening night."
Chicago Theater Beat - Recommended
"...Infusing the company with new blood this season is a truly refreshing idea. In recent years, the House seemed to be stumbling at times. Odradek is a worthy venture and dives into territory that the company had successfully plunged into in the past. But it lacks heft. The play doesn’t reveal much about mental illness, divorce, or a connection between the two. Its value lies in how it strikes the ear, the eye, and the soul – not the mind."